Nightmares
by captainme
Summary: A new crew mate seems to bring on beard a new curse with him... that haunts people in their dreams... but why does it only affect certain people? JackAna eventually
1. Chapter 1

A/N hey, this is going to be a long story that I will finish probably by January. The 2nd and 3rd chapters are almost finished so I'll be updating soon, which is good for me at the moment. My other stories will be updated soon enough but I've got a block on them at the moment, the ideas have left my head and it was really annoying me. Anyway sorry this first chapter really short but its just introducing the story without actually introducing the plot line. Anyway please review!

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It had been 4 years since **_The Black Pearl_** had been returned to its rightful owner. Everything since then had been how it should be. Plundering ships and sacking towns and villages. Gold chases and gold spending. Pleasurable company, good rum and good food… But that was all to change.

After the last battle between the **_Pearl_** and a merchant ship that was surprisingly armed well, the **_Black Pearl_** had suffered quite a lot in damages both to the actual ship and to the crew. Most of the deaths were of those that had joined since, but the original crew were all still there… including one Anamaria Santee.

In way of trying to get her off his back without actually giving her what she wanted, Captain Jack had made her first mate, with all the royalties plus more. She had her own room built in plus got a bigger cut in profits then a usual first mate would have. It had worked well for the first year or two before she got impatient and started asking again. Finally giving in, a year or so ago Jack bought her a small ship only big enough for about 20 people, before asking her to stay on for a while and come find a golden cave with him. Torn between Gold and her own ship, she chose to stay on with the **_Pearl_** safe in the knowledge that after she returned she could go her own way if she wished.

Of course when they came back from the treasure hunt, and the battle with the merchant ship, she had once again been asked by Captain Sparrow to stay on for a bit longer, as Jack seemed very unwilling to let his first mate go. She had bought him a lot of luck over the years, and was the best pirate he knew (other then himself), mainly because she worked so hard. For reasons unknown to herself, she agreed once again to stay.

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Jack had asked Anamaria's opinion on the three new crewmates he appointed. She was more than a first mate to him, but a friend that's opinion he regarded highly. She approved of two of them, but was suspicious of the third. Unsure of why she felt that way, she didn't mention it to Jack and all three got the job. Thomas Keenly, otherwise known as Tom was the first recruit. He was 16 years old and just starting out as a pirate after running away from home. Harry Holding was 47 years of age and got on very well with Mr. Gibbs. The last was Richard Parley, 26 years old and very silent and kept to himself to himself.

Jack was planning a long sea trip, not for any particular reason he just felt like a change from the usual scenery, so the crew spent as much time on land as they could before they set off. Anamaria spent most of her time on her ship, mainly daydreaming about where she would go when she finally decided to leave the **_Black Pearl_** for good. As much as she loved being first mate to the most famous pirate ship in the world, she knew one day she would need to get away on her own and become a captain herself.

The new recruits were all their for different reasons. Tom was there mainly to scrub the decks and clean, being used as a cabin boy to begin with as he knew nothing about sailing ships and being a pirate. Anamaria had, had a good feeling about him and his potential that had influenced Jack to hire him and make him part of his infamous crew. Harry was there due to his experience and the fact that most of the crew lost were of the older age with that experience at their hands. He had a love for rum which impressed Jack and was very superstitious a lot like Mr. Gibbs. Although at first he was slightly weary about having 'a woman onboard as it was bad luck' after having a chat with Mr. Gibbs, who turned out to be an old acquaintance in the navy, he changed his mind and agreed to be part of the **_Black Pearl_**. Now the last is Richard. Jack wasn't quite sure why he hired him. Ana had a bad feeling about him that she had kept quiet as had Jack. Since they had both kept this feeling to themselves and covered it up, it seemed stupid not to hire him. He didn't offer anything outstanding, he had a bit of experience on ships, couldn't cook, didn't have any medical skills, and had only turned pirate recently as he got restless on land as a shop keeper. He was the silent type, and effective from setting sail he had hardly said 3 words to anyone else.

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Ana Maria was standing at the helm, steering the ship, not long after they had set sailing on Captain Jack's 'big' adventure. Jack was sitting in his cabin looking over the maps he'd stolen off the last merchant ship they sacked, the maps were that of the places he wanted to visit, places they'd never gone to before and where he had gotten the idea of the trip from.

Standing outside his cabin looking towards the helm, jack smiled. He had once again managed for reasons not known to himself, to persuade his first mate to stay on for another trip. Each time he asked, she resisted more and more, until finally giving in. He knew it wouldn't be long until the time came when she came to him and told him she was leaving for good, and for some reason it saddened him to know that that was going to happen. She was a good first mate, one he trusted far more then he ever thought possible after what happened with Barbossa.

Walking up to her, he didn't have to say a word before she smiled and handed the wheel over to him, before walking away. Sighing contentedly to himself, he muttered "bring me that horizon…"

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A/N please review... 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Please review if you like... X

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It was that first night that started it all. But it was only about a week later that Jack realized something was up with certain members of his crew. Some of them were beginning to become slow and sluggish, whereas others were buzzing around on second wind due to the lack of useful sleep. To make it worse, they had sailed straight into a massive storm, which had been blowing for days and had no signs of stopping anytime soon. The only relief that there was to Jack was that Ana Maria seemed to be on top form, not affected by the sleep problem his crew were currently having.

One of the worse affected was the youngest and one of the newest lads. Tom seemed to be having trouble standing up, and most of the time couldn't seem to distinguish reality from dreams, always talking about something that had supposedly happened 'yesterday' or 'earlier', when no one else knew what he was talking about. Jack was blaming the storm, which was badly shaking up his pride and joy- without really harming her though – and a lot of people couldn't sleep during those conditions. Himself wasn't one of them though, moving with the ship as it rocked, everything felt as it should be for him when he was relaxing and falling into deep slumber.

Ana was once again at the helm, trying to desperately steer the ship through the storm. Jack walked up to her, as though the sea was as calm as ever, and stood beside her, staring out into the cloudy and dark horizon.

"Have you noticed a change in the crew?" Ana took a moment to have a look at her captain before turning back to looking where they were going, or at least trying to.

"Aye more tiered then usual. Doesn't seem t' hav' affected you much though." A toothy grin spread across Jacks face.

"Well I don't notice it ye see, move with her I do." Ana's eyes headed skywards.

"Aye I 'av noticed tha'." Jack smiled once again before holding out his arms, with Ana handing over the wheel to its owner once again. As though the ship knew her captain was once, the **_Pearl_** let out a grand creek and seemed to behave differently at the hands of Captain Sparrow.

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It was another good few weeks before the problems really started arising. They had made it through the storm with no major problems and everyone's sleep patterns had seemingly gone back to normal except for Tom who was still having major problems.

Tom had begun talking about the 'shadow'. He said it followed him everywhere, watching his every move and making him uncomfortable. When it wasn't with him everything was fine, but when it was… 'Bad things happened'.

After hearing stories of what the boy had been telling his crew, Jack took him aside and asked him about what happened when the 'shadow' was with him. To begin with he was beginning to think he had hired a mad man.

Tom explained one incident very vividly, saying it was the first thing that had happened and it was all since joining the ship, which Jack wasn't too happy to hear. Tom was implying it was the **_Black Pearl's _**fault for these things happening to him. He said it was like his nightmares were coming alive and he hated it, and wanted off. Since they were in the middle of the sea it was impossible for him to do so.

His story wasn't a very long one, but as he was explaining it Jack, Jack could see the fear in his eyes. Tom had run away for the simple reason his father was beating him and he had had enough of it. His mother had died giving birth to his sister and his sister had died a year earlier of a disease no one knew how to cure. The shadow was that of his past, the past he had run away from. It followed him everywhere giving him flash backs and premonitions of what was to come. Many of the premonitions included his father appearing from no where and beating him until all the bones him his body were broken and his internal organs punctured. Another was that of his mother, the mother he had never really had the chance to know, the mother taken so brutally away from him at a young age. This was far more pleasant but far more disturbing for him. She was trying to coax him into killing himself and join her and his sister. Although he had had a bad life so far, he had never had those feelings, and wanted to make the most out of life. Yet these things that were following him seemed to make it impossible for him to do that. Now the premonitions and flash backs weren't the only things disturbing him and his sleep. He had become far more jumping and earlier that day had proclaimed the cook was trying to kill him. These dreams were showing him his greatest fears, and because of it he had become suspicious of every one and everything around him. The biggest thing Jack had seen so far, that had him convinced the boy should be in a mental place, was when he was shouting at the sea demanding it to stop moving, so he could have some peace.

Leaving young Tom in the crew's cabin for a while he looked towards the helm. Noticing his first mate wasn't the one steering, he went in search for her, as she was the only one he wanted to share the experience of being with Tom with. Finding her in the galley eating leftover lunch meat he sat besides her, watching her jaw as it moved with her chewing.

"Can I help you, or is it just a fascinating experience watching someone eat cow?" Jack let out a small laugh.

"Nah not just someone luv, you." Ana raised her eyebrows at the comment, and gave a questioning look. "Well it's not everyday you see a woman eat like a man..." for that he got a slap and food chucked at him.

"Wha' you want sparrow?"

"Captain, and have you talked to young Thomas?"

"The crazy kid? No not since yesterday when I heard all about the bread that wanted to choke him to death as revenge for being 16."

"Really, I didn't hear about that one. Anyway that's not the point, he seemed sane enough when we hired him didn't he? Or was he just fooling us?" Licking her lips Anamaria took a moment to look at her captain and friend before replying.

"He was sane. But…" Ana hesitated before carrying on. "He said he'd never been on a ship before. Maybe it's just that. Seasickness taking on a different form. I defiantly don't think we should keep him on though afterwards, it wouldn't be wise. That's if he makes it back to Tortuga." Jack frowned.

"Why wouldn't he make it back?"

"Jack you've seen him. He might not make it back because he's so unstable he could do anything at any moment in time." Jack sighed and nodded. Stealing a piece of food Ana had left on her plate, he left the galley leaving both of them to there thoughts.

It was only later on that Jack realized the problem went much deeper then just tom. Especially when a scream reached out into the silence of the night…


End file.
